Is there a standard about how apps should use the NA?

[David Prieto <frandavid100 gmail com>]

Hi all,

Some time ago I filed a bug against the gnome panel, asking for the
notification area to have a button to hide unused icons and avoid
getting it overcrowded, just like windows. The answer was that the NA is
intended for NOTIFICATIONS, and if it's crowded it's because apps don't
use it properly. The HIG specifically say:


> The utility of the notification area decreases rapidly when more than
> four icons are displayed at the same time. Icons that appear only
> temporarily, in response to specific events, are therefore preferable.

Still, there are lots of "background" apps that sit on the NA.
Rhythmbox, Pidgin, Transmission are the first to come to mind. The way
they do it is a mess, too. Some of them close when you press the X
button, some are minimised to the NA. Some use the close animation, some
use minimise. Some bring the app to the front when you click the NA
icon, some hide it. Some have a checkbox (not) to use the NA, which is
nice since they are not supposed to be using it in the first place...
some don't.

As far as I know, the HIG's standards are pretty lax about these cases.
Shouldn't some guidelines be decided to decide what the better way for
these apps to behave should be? That way the inconsistency we're having
now would be greatly reduced.